JOHN FORBES WINS NORTH ALLIANCE AT STORMY BRORA

By ROBIN WILSON

Stormy weather welcomed the 44 members of the North Golf Alliance who began the second half of their season at Brora where conditions were so bad for the early local members teeing off at 8.30am that  they all returned to the clubhouse after just four holes.

Conditions got a little better when the morning sun made sporadic appearances between the squally showers rose and out of the original entry 23 returned cards. 

Muir of Ord's +1 handicap John Forbes (pictured) made his début in the North Alliance at the Tain fixture last November, taking a second place, and on his second appearance at Brora he carded two halves of 37 for a very worthy 74 and first place. 

Forbes' birdie 2 at the 13^th hole repaired some the damage of his double bogey 6 at the first inward hole played into the stiff wind, and with the help of the wind at the par five 8^th hole he also made a birdie on the outward half.

Only three players broke 80, the others being second placed Billy Ferries (Tain) with the help of a miraculous inward 36 for gross 77, and local member Robert MacDonald whose halves of 40-38 reduced to a nett of 72  to win the Class 1 section from John Hunter (Wick) nett 75, off 6. 

The Durness experience of the conditions was again beneficial to their members and the top two in Class 2 were Donnie Hossack, using all of his 16 handicap allowance to record a nett 74, and, with the same nett score club mate Davie Ross, off 14, who dropped back to second place on the count back. 

Tain's Ali Melville broke a 1-2-3 Durness finish when he claimed  third place and into fourth position came Ali Morrison from Durness, the apprentice greenkeeper at Brora.

On Sunday the twice postponed Reay fixture will hopefully be played, and followed the next weekend by Invergordon.

Brora Results:

LEADING SCRATCH

74 J Forbes (Muir of Ord). 

77 B Ferries (Tain). 

78 R N MacDonald (Brora). 

81 J Hunter (Wick). 

84 D Hexley (Muir of Ord).  

HANDICAP

Class 1 – R N MacDonald (Brora) (6) 72; B Ferries (Tain) (2), J Hunter (Wick) (6), J Forbes (Muir of Ord) (+1) 75. 

Class 2 – D Hossack (Durness) (16), D Ross (Durness) (14) 74; A Melville (Tain) (13),  A Morrison (Durness) (8) 75; P Valentine (Thurso) (10), J Mackenzie (Durness) (17) 77.